I almost think the author's story is more interesting then the horror story she wrote. I didn't realize Mary Shelley was the daughter of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft who died 11 days after giving birth. With her marriage to poet Percy Shelley, she had pressure from 3 sides to produce a wonderful work. Not only was Mary only 18 when she wrote Frankenstein (June 1816), but it was also after giving birth to her own child who died after 2 weeks (March, 1815). Another interesting fact was that her husband and her, along with 2 friends spent the summer together at Lake Geneva and challenged each other to write the most frightening story ... from which Mary won with Frankenstein.
It is interesting how the creature was giving and caring ... providing wood for the family in the cottage and saving the little girl after she drowned ... even providing food for Victor while being chased by him. Whereas Victor Frankenstein was portrayed as seeking ambition and fame in his creation and selfish in his desires. Who was the real monster here? Perhaps another example of how humans won't accept anything different from themselves and therefore consider it evil. Victor was wrong in creating the creature, but also in not caring for it (abandoning it) after its creation.
It is interesting how the creature was giving and caring ... providing wood for the family in the cottage and saving the little girl after she drowned ... even providing food for Victor while being chased by him. Whereas Victor Frankenstein was portrayed as seeking ambition and fame in his creation and selfish in his desires. Who was the real monster here? Perhaps another example of how humans won't accept anything different from themselves and therefore consider it evil. Victor was wrong in creating the creature, but also in not caring for it (abandoning it) after its creation.
I have just started reading all the classics and this book made my commitment even stonger. It was incredible.
I read this for a class a few years back. I gotta admit it was super slow to get into it in the beginning. The first few chapters dragged on for me. But once it got good, it became a faster read. The change in perspective can through you off at first but once you get used to it it's pretty interesting. Overall I feel that if you have patience and time this is worth a read.
A classic that deserves to be a classic. Excellent explanatory notes from the author, her husband, and other notables that added to my understanding of the novel. So glad I finally read this - I missed it while in high school. (Minor underlining in the text.)
Great book! I had assumptions about the book that ended up being wrong and I fell in love with the style of writing.
I'm not sure why I waited so long to read this novel. It's so well written. Perhaps it's because horror is not a preferred genre for me. At any rate I became quite involved in this tale.
The book focuses on the life of Victor Frankenstein. Early chapters are devoted to his personal life - friends, family and his sweetheart. The family was wealthy enough to send Victor for advanced study where he fell in love with science. As he experimented in the laboratories he began to wonder if he could create a living being. And, as we all know he does just that. The creature he creates is indeed alive but so frightening that he runs from his laboratory. The creature escapes and the story begins.
A couple of things bothered me about the entity. How did he know so much about Frankenstein that he would pursue and kill those that Victor loved? The second is the incident in the forest where the creature finds a cloak to protect him from the cold yet he is comfortable on the frigid mountain tops. However, the tale is so well done that I could overlook these issues. Victor pursues the creature, determined to destroy him. His horror is so great that he cannot share with others that he created this monster. The story unfolds as the two travel about with one trying to find the other. When Victor loses the creature, the creature finds him.
The author is often thought to have written only this novel but a biographer documents the extent of her work. She was indeed an accomplished writer who wrote a good deal and was noted for what she did during her lifetime.
The book focuses on the life of Victor Frankenstein. Early chapters are devoted to his personal life - friends, family and his sweetheart. The family was wealthy enough to send Victor for advanced study where he fell in love with science. As he experimented in the laboratories he began to wonder if he could create a living being. And, as we all know he does just that. The creature he creates is indeed alive but so frightening that he runs from his laboratory. The creature escapes and the story begins.
A couple of things bothered me about the entity. How did he know so much about Frankenstein that he would pursue and kill those that Victor loved? The second is the incident in the forest where the creature finds a cloak to protect him from the cold yet he is comfortable on the frigid mountain tops. However, the tale is so well done that I could overlook these issues. Victor pursues the creature, determined to destroy him. His horror is so great that he cannot share with others that he created this monster. The story unfolds as the two travel about with one trying to find the other. When Victor loses the creature, the creature finds him.
The author is often thought to have written only this novel but a biographer documents the extent of her work. She was indeed an accomplished writer who wrote a good deal and was noted for what she did during her lifetime.
